Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd

Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd (1120-1170) was King of Gwynedd in 1170, succeeding Owain Gwynedd and preceding Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd.

Biography
Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd was born in Gwynedd, Wales in 1120, the son of Owain Gwynedd. In 1143, he was sent to Ceredigion to burn his uncle Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd's castle at Abystwyth, and Cadwaladr fled to Ireland and amassed a Norse fleet. Owain was forced to restore Cadwaladr to his lands to end the civil war, as an English invasion led to the Welsh requiring unity.

In 1170, Hywel succeeded his father as King of Gwynedd, but his stepmother Cristin ferch Goronwy ab Owain plotted to overthrow him in a coup. Hywel himself was forced to flee to Ireland, and he returned with a Hiberno-Norse army, having the support of his brother Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd. However, his brother Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd ambushed him at Pentraeth, defeated Hywel, and slew him in battle.